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Austrian justice minister Wolfgang Brandstetter has spoken out against proposals by Tyrol's social democrats to legalize cannabis, saying that the majority of Austrians are opposed.

"Legalization is not an issue, even in the summer," Brandstetter told the news daily Tiroler Tageszeitung. Brandstetter agrees with health minister Alois Stoeger on the importance of therapy and prevention.

"It's all about prevention, too, in my view, we must the reduce the consumption of addictive substances - including soft drugs such as cannabis," said Brandstetter.

According to a survey by the polling institute Unique on behalf of the news magazine Profil, 58 percent of Austrians reject legalization of cannabis. Only 34 percent favor it, and eight percent did not want to comment.

The Tyrolean Social Democrat Party (SPÖ) had in the previous week adopted a motion on the initiative of the Socialist Youth (SJ) that the consumption, purchase and possession of so-called soft drugs should be decriminalized.

The federal party committee established a working group to consider the proposal and the fight against addiction.

Stoeger rejected the legalization of cannabis and announced the development of a national strategy, which aims to curb the development of addictions.